Tea journeys have taken place throughout the world since ancient times. Ever since the Han people started growing, drying, and processing tea, tea culture slowly spread across neighboring countries in Asia leading to the blossoming of various tea drinking methods and philosophies.
Sipping a slightly hot cup of tea helps us to connect with our inner soul. Chajing (The Classic of Tea) written by Lu Yu is the first known monograph on tea in the world that brings the simple act of making and drinking tea to a whole new level. Compared to wine, Lu considered drinking tea to be an act of nature that is woven with the principles of harmony, humility, and conformity to nature.
During the 13th century, the Japanese Buddhist monk Kukai brought tea into Japan resulting in the birth of chado that emphasises Wa Kei Sei Jaku (harmony, respect, purity and
tranquility) and tea drinking as a simple yet aesthetic experience. Reaching the 16th century, tea became popular in western aristocratic society, and different countries began to develop their own social etiquettes and rituals around tea drinking.
In Hong Kong, a city with a unique blend of Eastern and Western influences, tea drinking is simply a part of everyday life that is not bound by any rituals or etiquettes. From milk tea, lemon tea to the hot tea served in traditional Chinese restaurants, it’s not too difficult to tell that tea drinking is a fundamental part of the locals’ everyday life. This simple, direct, and natural way of tea drinking might well be considered as the Hong Kong way of tea. Be that as it may, sipping a cup of tea brings you on a journey to discover the essence of life.
The way of tea for local tea artists
Mee Heung Cheun Tea Co.
Mee Heung Chuen has been hand-roasting tea since it first opened its doors in 1964. Roasting is essential in reducing the water content and raw taste in tea while transforming its aroma. Light roasting produces sheng cha (raw tea) that is light in color and rich in natural aroma; heavy roasting, on the other hand, produces shou cha (ripe tea) that is drunk for its sophisticated undertones. Owner Su Wenkeng believes that tea should be roasted according to their unique characteristics. Only with the right roasting temperature and time can the subtle distinctiveness in each tea be brought out when brewing. That’s why he insists on sourcing unprocessed tea from different tea gardens and hand-roasting them with his experienced hands. For Mee Heung Chuen, hand-roasting is their way of tea.
yú teahouse
Born in the 90s, Catherine Yung, founder of yú teahouse, was brought up in a tea trading household and started traveling to tea farms with her mother at the age of 15. It was an encounter with a thousand-year-old tea tree that first sparked her interest in tea. As a design graduate of UK’s Central Saint Martins, Yung founded yú teahouse and is in charge of everything from picking tea to designing logos and packaging. It is her hope to introduce Chinese tea culture to younger audiences. yú teahouse is devoted to introducing the various tea brewing methods to the world, all the while serving items such as cold brew tea, cookies, and ice cream to satisfy the taste buds of modern buyers, and hopefully, get people to learn about tea and eventually make it part of their life. For yú teahouse, promoting Chinese tea culture to the young generation is their way of tea.
Taboocha
So what is kombucha? “Stop trying to define it first. Try it and you will find something extraordinary,” said the founders of Taboocha. Kombucha is a fermented drink made with tea,
sugar, and cultures of bacteria and yeast. It is naturally bubbly, deliciously sweet and tart, and said to aid gut health and boost the immune system. Many people make their own kombucha; it allows them to freely imagine and create their own unique and trendy flavors. Kombucha represents an attitude that we embrace towards the uncertain future: Be courageous, go with nature, and believe in the power of action. For Taboocha, to inspire the imagination of future lifestyle is their way of tea.
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